Veteran Game Developer Warren Spector Excited About Mobile

The game developer behind franchises like Ultima, Deus Ex and Disney Epic Mickey is taking a break from game development after the closure of his Junction Point Studios. But the veteran game maker is excited about the evolving mobile game market as a new platform to explore.

“I’m way more psyched about mobile and tablets than next gen,” said Spector. “When you look at the gaming landscape, a billion people have a smartphone or a tablet. Everybody is carrying around a PS2-quality device in their pocket. And when the PS4 and Xbox One come out and are locked into their performance and hardware limitations, there’s going to be a new generation of smartphones and tablets. Five years from now are you really going to be playing on 2013 console technology, when there’s 2018 tech that you can put in your pocket.”

Spector wants to see if he can make some games that can implement controls other than swiping or rail shooters or tower defense or strategy.

“It would be nice to see if we could tell great stories to a billion potential players,” said Spector. “I’m way more excited about mobile than I am about next gen consoles. I’m totally burned out on big teams, big projects. I am so sick of devoting two years of my life and spending crazy amounts of money to make something for half a million people or a million people or five million people. What creative person says I want to reach the smallest possible audience?”